Tag: Cirencester

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Notes from bygone years – May all your Mays be amazing
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

May 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

We took Donna’s Mum, Isobel, for a weekend break at a Warners hotel; the one we visited is Holme Lacy, not far from Hereford. Donna thought Isobel would enjoy this place, and she was right. In the evening there were tribute bands singing songs that were popular in the 50s and 60s, so music that is still popular amongst the older generation these days. The outside areas are attractive too as you can see from the photo.

JHM: I wrote about the expansion of excavations at Pompeii. – World events: – The WHO downgraded COVID from being a global health emergency to just a pandemic; Charles III and Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey.

< Apr 2023 – June 2023 >

May 2022 (2 years before publishing)

I had a suspected cold but needed to be sure it wasn’t COVID as I was planning to be with a group of friends, but as you can see the result was negative.

I don’t think any of us wants to go through another pandemic! It was very disruptive in so many ways.

World events: The Eurovision Song Contest was won by Ukraine; and the Event Horizon Telescope revealed Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole.

< Apr 2022 – Jun 2022 >

May 2019 (5 years before)

Choosing a day with beautiful sunshine, we visited Hidcote Gardens and then Charlcote Park (pictured). The ingenuity, design and construction that went into gardens and houses like these is astounding. But they depended on the work of large numbers of people much less fortunate than the people who lived in them.

World events: An inter-governmental report found more than a million species were at risk of extinction; and Theresa May announced her resignation as Conservative leader.

< Apr 2019 – Jun 2019 >

May 2014 (10 years)

New Frontiers were holding their annual gathering at the  National Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh and I felt I should take my friends Kev and John to one of the sessions. They’d shown real interest in Jesus and we’d been reading through parts of the Bible in a local coffee shop in St Neots. The photo shows them listening to news about church planting in Pakistan.

JHM: I posted about something unexpected that happened at Stoneleigh. – World events: The ‘Luhansk People’s Republic‘ declared independence from Ukraine; and Narendra Modi became the 14th prime minister of India.

< Apr 2014 – Jun 2014 >

May 2009 (15 years)

River Church in St Neots had a day out at Grafham Water on 25th May. Here’s Jim’s giant Jenga being put to good use. Everyone had a great time, but Jim’s Jenga tower is nowhere near the largest. Try this one for size!

JHM: I wrote about the internet; and about a meeting where freedom was the main thing. – World events: The Hubble Space Telescope was serviced by Atlantis; and the Sri Lankan Civil War ended afer 25 years of fighting.

< Apr 2009 – Jun 2009 >

May 2004 (20 years)

Ken and Gayna are good friends of ours. Ken and Donna were both working and I was working a four day week at that time, so Gayna and I visited Ely Cathedral which she’d never seen before. The photo shows the lantern, an astonishing design and structure for medieval times.

JHM: One of our meetings focused on love and kindness. – World events: The European Union expanded, adding ten further states; and the First Battle of Fallujah ended.

< Apr 2004 – Jun 2004 >

May 1999 (25 years)

On 1st May we visited Donna’s parents. Her Dad had a hot air balloon flight for two as a birthday present and this was the day he chose for the ascent, inviting me to join him. In the photo, I’m on the left and Tony’s on the right. It was an amazing experience!

World events: A tornado in Oklahoma involved record-breaking winds of over 300 mph; at the Hague, Slobodan Milošević and four others were indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

< Apr 1999 – Jun 1999 >

May 1994 (30 years)

I replied to a mailing list message about SUPER.EXE, an MS-DOS utility for getting temporary admin rights on a Novell Netware server. It saved logging out and in again (twice) or, even worse, going to the locked server room to perform the same task from there.

World events: F1 world champion, Ayrton Senna died in a crash; the Channel Tunnel opened between England and France; and Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president.

< Apr 1994 – Jun 1994 >

May 1989 (35 years)

We visited Cirencester and my Mum and Dad took us to North Meadow at Cricklade to look at the snake’s head fritillaries growing wild there. After that we drove up the Stow Road to see orchids and pasqueflowers. It was quite the botanical field trip!

World events: The Soviet Union issued its first Visa card; Hungary dismantled barbed wire fencing along its border with Austria; and the last golden toad (now extinct) was seen in Costa Rica.

< Apr 1989 – Jun 1989 >

May 1984 (40 years)

My daughter Beth loved hamsters, so when she was six I wrote a Sinclair Spectrum text adventure for her, starring a hamster. If you use a Spectrum emulator you can still load and run this game. I suggest the Fuse emulator (free). Once installed, here’s the Hamster! download.

World events: The Severomorsk Disaster was an enormous explosion at the Soviet Severomorsk Naval Base; and a gas explosion in Lancashire killed 16 people.

< Apr 1984 – Jun 1984 >

May 1979 (45 years)

We travelled to a Post Green meeting at Lytchett Minster near Poole with our friends Paul and Jenny as we had no car at this time. Tony and Faith also drove down. This was an eye-opening experience for all six of us, we learned so much about community, making music, and the gifts of the Spirit. We camped in a borrowed tent and our one-year-old, Beth, slept in a cardboard box. Beth’s first birthday came in May as well, Debbie was already four, our family was growing up!

World events: Margaret Thatcher became the UK’s first woman prime minister; and Greenland was granted limited autonomy from Denmark.

< Apr 1979 – Jun 1979 >

May 1974 (50 years)

I was still doing a little work on willow growth rates for Ken Stott, the Willows officer at LARS, but Ken had been providing help to the Pomology Group and I was working more and more on that. I’d had a promotion to Higher Scientific Officer (HSO) and was eager to spend more time on microscopy and pollination.

World events: The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) exploded four car bombs in counties Dublin and Monaghan, killing 33 and injuring 300; and India successfully detonated its first nuclear weapon. 

< Apr 1974 – Jun 1974 >

May 1969 (55 years)

As Bath University Horticulture students, we visited commercial sites from time to time see horticulture in action and ask questions of the managers and staff. The photo shows one of these visits in May 1969. Peter Thoday, one of our lecturers at the time and later a TV personality, is at the back on the right.

World events: An American teenager died of a baffling medical condition, later identified as HIV/AIDS;  Apollo 10‘s lunar module flew two astronauts to within 16 km of the Moon‘s surface.

< Apr 1969 – Jun 1969>

May 1964 (60 years)

Here’s my sister, Ruth, busy with coloured chalks and a little slate. The floor covering is linoleum, bought by my grandparents for the house, now relegated to the garden. In the background is my old scooter from the mid 1950s. Ruth is on the loggia, a covered area in the garden with three open sides.

World events: The first BASIC computer program was run; and large student protests against the Vietnam War began in US cities.

< Apr 1964 – Jun 1964>

May 1959 (65 years)

May probably brought school half-term, Spring Bank Holiday was 18th, the Eleven Plus exams loomed, and probably came in June; it was strange to realise that at the end of term, my days at Junior School would be over! Uncertainty lay ahead but I don’t remember feeling anxious, nor indeed excited.

World events:  North Vietnam implemented plans to invade South Vietnam; and a  Jupiter AM-18 rocket launched two monkeys into space from Cape Canaveral, returning them safely to Earth.

< Apr 1959 – Jun 1959>

May 1954 (70 years)

I had a letter from my older cousin, Jill. At this time she was staying in a hostel in Deptford, London. She had watched the Royal Yacht Britannia returning home with the Queen and Prince Philip on board. The ship was brand new at the time and she wanted to describe the event for me. Click the image to read an extract.

World events: Roger Bannister ran a mile in less than four minutes; and Diane Leather became the first woman to run a mile in less than five minutes.

< Apr 1954 – Jun 1954>

May 1949 (75 years)

Approaching ten months old, I might have started imitating sounds. I’d have been fairly mobile and no doubt making a nuisance of myself by crawling. Perhaps I had a favourite toy by this time too. We were still living with my grandparents, though Mum and Dad were hoping to move to a home of their own soon.

World events:  Britain’s EDSAC, the first practicable stored-program computer, ran its first program; and the Federal Republic of Germany was established.

< Apr 1949 – Jun 1949>

May 1944 (80 years)

In May, Dad had several firsts during basic training for the RAF. He threw a live hand grenade, went through a gas chamber and removed his mask inside, fired a Sten gun, and suffered a carbuncle on his neck that required a stay in Sick Quarters. On 25th May Dad was moved, with 12 others, to an RAF station at Wilmslow in Cheshire.

World events: In the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol, Soviet troops finally drove out all German forces; and on 15th Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery and other leaders met for the final D-Day joint briefing.

< Apr 1944 – Jun 1944>

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Notes from bygone years – Aprils springing up everywhere
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

April 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

Donna and I spent a week in Weston-super-Mare while her brother and sister-in-law were on holiday walking on Dartmoor. We stayed in their flat and combined looking after their two, black Labradors (Marple and Maizi) with an enjoyable week away ourselves.

The photo shows Maizi holding a stick while watching another one on the beach, clearly hoping I’ll pick it up and throw it; she is ultra-focused on this possibility! They’re senior dogs now, when Maizi was young it would have been a much larger stick!

JHM: I wrote ‘More on groundbreaking‘ about Jesus and his authority. – World events: – Finland joined NATO; and SpaceX launched its Starship rocket for the first time.

< Mar 2023 – May 2023 >

April 2022 (2 years before publishing)

I’ve always enjoyed walking, and I also like taking photos. On April 26th 2022 I walked along the field margins from Stratton to the polo grounds outside Cirencester Park, then down through woodland paths into town. The wild garlic was in full flower in the woods so I took a photo of it, growing here amongst sparse stinging nettle. The flowers look like snow from a distance, but close up they are exquisite.

World events: The IPCC released its sixth assessment warning of serious impacts from a warming climate; Ukraine sank the cruiser, Moskva.

< Mar 2022 – May 2022 >

April 2019 (5 years before)

We visited London for two days, here we’re visiting a tropical jungle at the very top of one of the city’s tallest buildings, the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ building at 20 Fenchurch Street. It’s really strange to visit a hilly area with mature trees on the top three floors of a 38-storey building!

JHM: I wrote about spiritual melody. – World events: A black hole was imaged for the first time; and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was seriously damaged by fire.

< Mar 2019 – May 2019 >

April 2014 (10 years)

On 16th Donna and I visited Burwash Manor, near Cambridge, where there were a number of small shops and businesses to explore as well as a place for coffee and refreshments. We very much enjoyed looking around and had lunch while we were there.

JHM: I posted about suffering in its various forms. – World events: The ‘Donetsk People’s Republic‘ declared independence from Ukraine; and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stripped Russia of its voting rights.

< Mar 2014 – May 2014 >

April 2009 (15 years)

Donna’s birthday is in April, and in 2009 she was forty-years-old. She had a party with family, friends, work colleagues from Unilever at Colworth, and Open Door Church members all present. As you can see in the photo (click to enlarge it), the cake was a Noah’s Ark and was really beautifully and elaborately iced. There was an evening meal and dance at a nearby village hall.

JHM: I posted an article on Wolfram Alpha, this fascinating website is still available – World events: Albania and Croatia joined NATO; and UNESCO launched the World Digital Library.

< Mar 2009 – May 2009 >

April 2004 (20 years)

We flew to Cyprus for a holiday at a hotel in Paphos. Cyprus is a fascinating place in so many ways: archaeology, landscape, biology, society – there was a lot to see. The photo shows ‘The Tombs of the Kings‘ near Paphos. It’ not a built structure, but cut out of the solid rock.

JHM: We had some thoughts about being in the King’s presence. – World events: A referendum failed to reunite Cyprus.

< Mar 2004 – May 2004 >

April 1999 (25 years)

We were living in Tilbrook, Bedfordshire, and had a visit from friends on 5th April, Jacob is playing with a woodpecker toy. My job at Unilever was extended for a second year, good news as it gave me access to the company’s superannuation scheme.

World events: An Inuit homeland, Nunavut, was created; and the Columbine High School Massacre shocked the world.

< Mar 1999 – May 1999 >

April 1994 (30 years)

Around this time, Judy was having slightly odd bowel symptoms and arranged an appointment with her GP who listened, examined her, but found nothing wrong and suggested there was no cause for anxiety and it might sort itself out . We were living in Stowey Road, Yatton.

World events: The Rwandan genocide began in Kigali; and Finland decided to join the European Union.

< Mar 1994 – May 1994 >

April 1989 (35 years)

We discovered a field mouse in the house, cowering in a corner. We caught it by putting food in a tall bucket and building a way for it to climb up the outside of the bucket. The mouse jumped in during the night but couldn’t jump out again. Debbie and Beth released it in a field; in the photo it’s about to jump to freedom.

World events: Margaret Thatcher‘s government introduced the Community Charge in Scotland; the Hillsborough Disaster killed 94 in Sheffield; and the world’s smallest mobile phone was introduced.

< Mar 1989 – May 1989 >

April 1984 (40 years)

My sister, Ruth, and her husband, Martin, are coming up to their ruby wedding, they were married in April 1984. Congratulations Ruth and Martin!

This is Ivy Church at Ampney St Mary where the wedding took place.

World events: An Indian Air Force pilot, Rakesh Sharma, flew on Soyuz; and an X-class solar flare erupted.

< Mar 1984 – May 1984 >

April 1979 (45 years)

This is a draft for the opening of John Jefferies & Sons new Forum Garden Centre in Cirencester. As you can see, it was to be a grand event with Lord and Lady Bathurst taking a leading role in the opening. There was a barbecue, several talks and films, and the Town Crier would announce it in the Market Place.

World events: Iran became an Islamic Republic; and the La Soufrière volcano erupted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

< Mar 1979 – May 1979 >

April 1974 (50 years)

I was busy working at Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) with experiments on temperature effects of plum pollen tube growth rate. I used growth cabinets at a range of temperatures and plum flowers supported in wet florist’s foam. After some microscope work, the data had to be fitted to mathematical growth models (for which I collaborated with a statistician).

World events: The brand new county of Avon came into existence; and ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest.

< Mar 1974 – May 1974 >

April 1969 (55 years)

I was at Bath University in my third year of their four-year Horticulture degree course. Judy visited Cambridge on a biochemistry trip. Dad went to Fairford Airfield and filmed Concorde on an early test flight. The image is a still frame from his 8 mm movie camera.

World events: Concorde arrived at Fairford for testing; Richard Nixon was sworn in as President of the United States.

< Mar 1969 – May 1969>

April 1964 (60 years)

I was in the 5th year at Cirencester Grammar School. Here’s a photo I took of my sister Cindy in Girl Guides uniform outside the family home in Victoria Road. It was always a happy home, Mum and Dad were great parents and we had opportunities to do so many interesting things.

World events: Sentences were passed in the Great Train Robbery trial; and BBC Two television began broadcasting.

< Mar 1964 – May 1964>

April 1959 (65 years)

I was now in my final term at Junior school (Querns School), the photo is from 2023, but it looks much as it did in 1959. We were spending some of our time practising the sorts of logical problems we’d meet in the 11+ exam and pupils who passed would go to Cirencester Grammar School. About one in three would typically succeed, and although Mum and Dad didn’t make a big deal of it, I think they knew I was marginal and could go either way.

World events: NASA selected it’s first potential astronauts; and the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic.

< Mar 1959 – May 1959>

April 1954 (70 years)

The Easter holidays meant that Querns School was closed and I could revert to spending the entire time playing at home or with local friends from Queen Anne’s Road where we lived. Linda next door was probably 6 and I was in the last few months of being 5. Our parents were friends too, so we spent a lot of time in and out of one another’s homes and gardens.
The photo shows a building on the corner of London Road and Beeches Road. Both directions were good for the walk home.

World events: Toscanini had a memory lapse during a concert and retired from conducting; Bill Haley & His Comets recorded ‘Rock Around the Clock‘.

< Mar 1954 – May1954>

April 1949 (75 years)

I was nine months old at the end of the month, and was probably able to pick items up and transfer them from one hand to the other. I might also have looked for objects that had been moved out of sight. I’m glad to report that I can still do those things 75 years later!

World events: NATO was created, originally with 12 members; and  Rodgers and Hammerstein‘s South Pacific opened on Broadway.

< Mar 1949 – May 1949>

April 1944 (80 years)

Dad was now in Skegness (Skeggie) for basic RAF training. This involved marching and parade practice, rifle shooting and bayonet work, fieldcraft, watching training films, aircraft recognition and more. Sometimes there were fatigues to be done, in the cookhouse, for example.

There was also time off when they could visit the town, play football, write letters and generally do whatever they wanted. One highlight was an inspection by an Air Chief Marshal.

World events: The US Air Force accidentally bombed a Swiss city; and a large scale D-Day practice on Slapton Sands was attacked by German U-boats.

< Mar 1944 – May 1944>

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Notes from bygone years – Marching on and on
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

March 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

We visited Bristol for the day on 18th March 1973; it’s only 44 miles from our home in Cirencester. For several years I lived in this fine city, and then for many more years just a few miles to the west. I know the place pretty well and I’ve seen it change with the passing decades. This photo contains many of the places I love: the cathedral, the university, the floating harbour created long ago by damming the River Avon with a lock for entry and exit around times of high tide.

We visited the covered St Nicholas Market where we ate a light Indian lunch, and viewed a gallery of award winning wildlife photos at the M shed. After coffee and cake at a local cafe it was time to drive home. A lovely day to remember.

JHM: I wrote two articles about ChatGPT. – World events: – GPT-4 was launched by OpenAI.

< Feb 2023 – Apr 2023 >

March 2022 (2 years before publishing)

Members of the family met to plant a Siddington Russet apple tree on the site of Siddington Nursery.

When I was young this was a working ornamental and fruit tree nursery, part of the family business run by my grandfather with my father, three uncles, and a cousin. It included a shop in Cirencester and later, a garden centre in the town centre and another at Kingsmeadow on the southern outskirts (now a Tesco Extra). There were a number of nurseries, including Siddington; however, it was a declining business and was wound up in the 1980s.

World events: The UN deplored Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the immediate withdrawal of its forces; and Shackleton’s ship Endurance was discovered in the Antarctic;

< Feb 2022 – Apr 2022 >

March 2019 (5 years before)

This old cedar tree was here when I was a child, a feature of Cirencester’s West Market Place. It must have been here when my father was a child too. Usually I just walk past, but on this March day I stopped to take the tree’s portrait.

World events: An uncrewed SpaceX Crew Dragon test flight docked with the International Space Station; and all Boeing 737 Max aircraft were grounded.

< Feb 2019 – Apr 2019 >

March 2014 (10 years)

We were living in St Neots at this time, the photo is of boats in the centre of town, near the River Great Ouse and an easy walk from our home. The short canal in the photo served the industrial part of the town and follows the course of Hen Brook, a small tributary of the Great Ouse.

JHM: I posted an interview with the author of ‘The Black Swan Effect’. – World events: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared without trace.

< Feb 2014 – Apr 2014 >

March 2009 (15 years)

In March 2009 I visited friends in Yatton, North Somerset, where I had lived for several decades with my first wife, Judy, and our two daughters. I took this photo of our first house; the weeping birch had grown enormously since I last saw it!

JHM: I wrote a short note about a meeting; – World events: NASA’s Kepler mission was launched to search for planets orbiting other stars.

< Feb 2009 – Apr 2009 >

March 2004 (20 years)

Always apply the handbrake when parking your car. This was the scene in the Unilever car park at work one day in March 2004! Somebody left their car with the handbrake off, and the slight slope had been enough to cause a very big problem later. Whoops!

JHM: I explained how trees figured in a meeting. – World events: Seven European nations were admitted to NATO.

< Feb 2004 – Apr 2004 >

March 1999 (25 years)

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, Donna and I visited Rome in March. What a fascinating place! We explored many historic sites – the Vatican, the remains of the Roman Forum, the Roman senate, the temple to all the gods (the Pantheon), but most amazing for me was the Colosseum. The photo shows people entering the building.

World events: Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic joined NATO.

< Feb 1999 – Apr 1999 >

March 1994 (30 years)

The Gloucestershire Regiment (Glorious Glosters) was disbanded in March 1994, here they are parading through Cirencester in a still frame from a video taken by my Dad. Their final parade was in the city of Gloucester, just three days later.

World events: China made its first connection to the internet; Schindler’s List won seven Oscars; and the Linux kernel v 1.0.0 was released.

< Feb 1994 – Apr 1994 >

March 1989 (35 years)

We visited the SS Great Britain in Bristol with Debbie’s French Exchange student, Anne. Here are Beth, Anne and Debbie on the old ship. The Bristol/Bordeaux exchange has been running a long time. Judy remembered doing the exchange and now one of her daughters was taking part too.

World events: Tim Berners-Lee wrote a proposal for the World Wide Web; and there was a serious rail crash in Purley.

< Feb 1989 – Apr 1989 >

March 1984 (40 years)

This was the month that my friend, Tony Everest, died. It was such a tragedy; Tony felt he was a failure. A carpenter by trade, he had lost his job and was unable to find a new one; in particular he felt he had let down his wife and children. He left a message asking me to take his funeral, and although I did that willingly, I was very glad to have the help of some other mutual friends in the planning and on the day.

World events: A year-long coal miner’s strike began in the UK; and Iran accused Iraq of using chemical weapons.

< Feb 1984 – Apr 1984 >

March 1979 (45 years)

John Jefferies & Son was redeveloping their small Forum Garden Centre in the area between Tower Street and The Avenue. The site is now Minerva Court, an area of 1980s housing. A number of old, brick and timber greenhouses were demolished and replaced by a single, large aluminium glasshouse for the indoor display area. Debbie had her fourth birthday this month.

World events: NASA’s Voyager 1 probe showed that Jupiter has rings; and Philips demonstrated the first CD audio disc (marketed from 1982).

< Feb 1979 – Apr 1979 >

March 1974 (50 years)

I believe this is a photo of Bristol from the top of Dundry Hill, though I can’t be completely sure. We were living in the city and used to enjoy the drive out to Dundry from time to time. We were saving to buy our first house at a time of rapid inflation, a difficult situation.

World events: The Terracotta Army was discovered in China; and Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese WW2 soldier, surrendered in The Philippines.

< Feb 1974 – Apr 1974 >

March 1969 (55 years)

During March I was in my third year at Bath University while Judy was in her second year at Aberystwyth. Exams were only a few months away for both of us, though it’s fair to say Judy was working far harder than I was.

Judy was planning for a biochemistry trip to Cambridge in April and was carefully considering the finances for it (see image). About £15.60 for four days covered accomodation, meals, and travel from Aber to Cambridge and back!

World events: Concorde‘s first test flight took off at Toulouse; and John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married.

< Feb 1969 – Apr 1969>

March 1964 (60 years)

I was in the 5th year at Cirencester Grammar School, and during the Easter holiday some of us went to Paris on a school trip for a week. I took this photo on the platform at Swindon Station waiting for our train to London. I think we might have caught our first train at Cirencester Town Station to change at Kemble. The Cirencester branch closed the following year.

World events: A huge earthquake struck Anchorage in Alaska; Jerrie Mock started a solo flight around the world, becoming the first woman to do so.

< Feb 1964 – Mar 1964>

March 1959 (65 years)

The end of the spring term fell in March, I had just one final term and the eleven plus exam to go and that would be the end of my time at junior school. I think that made me feel rather grown up and I began wondering how my new life would be at secondary school.

World events: Archbishop Makarios returned to Cyprus from exile; NASA’s lunar probe Pioneer 4 became the first American object to escape Earth orbit; the Barbie doll was released in the USA; and Hawaii became a US state.

< Feb 1959 – Apr 1959>

March 1954 (70 years)

My second term at Querns School continued right through March as Easter wasn’t until mid-April. By this time I was probably getting quite good at copying letters and short, simple words as well as counting small pictures of animals and objects and writing down the correct number. We also got to colour in these little pictures so it seemed quite good fun.

World events: The USA announced that a hydrogen bomb had been tested on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific; the Soviet Union recognised the sovereignty of East Germany.

< Feb 1954 – Apr 1954>

March 1949 (75 years)

I was eight months old at the end of March, perhaps beginning to crawl around and confident at sitting. Mum, Dad and I shared a bedroom upstairs in my grandparents home at 37 Victoria Road in Cirencester. I must have been carried up and down the stairs in that house a number of times every day.

World events: 92 000 Baltic States citizens were deported internally in the USSR; and Newfoundland became part of Canada.

< Feb 1949 – Apr 1949>

March 1944 (80 years)

Dad registered again for military service (just to be sure) and received his calling up papers three months earlier than expected.

Also in March, as a member of the Air Training Corps (ATC) he was lucky enough to be invited on a cross-country flight in an Airspeed Oxford with two Frenchmen. Taking off from South Cerney, they flew over Chippenham, Thame, Droitwich, Malvern, Monmouth, and Stroud, landing again at South Cerney.

World events: In the UK, a prohibition against teaching by married women was lifted; Mount Vesuvius erupted; and the Tetra Pak was invented in Sweden.

< Feb 1944 – Apr 1944>

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